Ricegrowers face low water allocations

Low water allocations mean another difficult season for Australia's ricegrowers.

Last year's total harvest of about 400,000 tonnes was down by two thirds on average.

Murray Valley water allocations are currently at zero per cent and the Murrumbidgee's storage dams are almost empty.

"People are quite concerned about their future, they're looking at a winter crop that in some cases may or may not even be sown," Ricegrowers Association of Australia spokeswoman Deborah Kerr said.

"So, you know, the second year into a really dry sequence of...income generation for farmers [is] causing great angst and anxiety among farmers."

Ms Kerr says payback demands to Snowy Hydro and South Australian commitments mean high water allocations next season are unlikely.

"We have 80 per cent of our crop...exported, so there's a great deal to conserve and maintain our overseas markets," she said.

"So certainly there's a great deal of concern about the industry for the forthcoming year...there's not panic at this stage if you like, there's just concern about the water situation because, as we know, rice is fairly dependent on water for its survival."